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Landry Fields may be likely Center Piece of Trade

NEW YORK -- So I ran into Reggie Miller twice Thursday night at Madison Square Garden: once pregame, when I explained to him the merits of including Landry Fields in a trade for Carmelo Anthony; and again afterward, when he had something to say, too.

"You still want to trade Landry Fields, Chris?"

As Miller, myself and everyone else knows, it doesn't matter whether I think Fields should be traded or whether Miller thinks Fields should be kept. It's a matter of whether Fields will be in the mix when the Knicks and Nuggets arrive at whenever their 11th hour is and decide whether they are going to make a trade sending Anthony to the Knicks.

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And if Stan and Josh Kroenke and Denver general manager Masai Ujiri were watching this particular game, which was televised nationally on TNT, they had to be asking themselves whether this Fields kid is someone they can rebuild around if they decide to set off the dynamite.

Fields, the 39th overall pick of this past June's draft, is looking very much like a lottery pick this season -- perhaps never more so than he did on this night. He had a line of 19 points and 13 rebounds to go along with a continual infusion of energy that led the Knicks to one of their better victories of the season, 93-88 over the Miami Heat.

"I just came into this game wanting to be a little more aggressive -- not worrying if shots were going to fall. That's pretty much it," Fields said. "Our last two losses to the Heat, I didn't do so well, and I said, 'I'm kind of tired of this and I'm going to do something different.'"

That difference in attitude and energy was most evident on a missed free throw by Amare Stoudemire in the second quarter when Fields came flying in from the 3-point line to grab an offensive rebound and went right back up with the ball to draw a foul. The crowd went nuts over the hustle play, and Fields knocked down both foul shots.

But Fields' biggest play of the game came as the clock ticked inside the final minute and the Knicks were holding an 86-84 lead. James Jones had just missed a 3-point attempt for Miami (which seemed to be playing this game at half-speed -- especially LeBron James). The Knicks fed the ball to Stoudemire on the low block and watched the Heat's defense do what everyone else's defense does at times like this -- collapse on Stoudemire.

But this time, rather than put the ball on the floor and put himself at risk of having it swiped away, Stoudemire rifled a pass to Fields at the 3-point line for a long-distance jumper that put the Knicks ahead 89-84 and sent the building into a frenzy.

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Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE/Getty Images
Knicks rookie Landry Fields finished with 19 points and 13 rebounds against the Heat on Thursday.
That shot pretty much wrapped up the Knicks' first victory in three tries against the Heat this season, providing a midseason boost of energy and confidence for a Knicks team that had been showing itself to be interesting and exciting to watch but that wasn't fooling anybody into believing it could be championship-worthy.

The Knicks still can't hope to rise into that echelon unless and until they put a second superstar alongside Stoudemire, which is why they are proceeding diligently with Denver in their pursuit of Anthony.

And as I told Miller before the game when he was arguing against giving up too much in an Anthony trade, it comes down to this: The Knicks will not have enough salary cap space to sign Anthony as an unrestricted free agent this coming summer unless they either renounce their rights to Wilson Chandler or trade enough players to free up enough cap space to sign both Anthony and Chandler.

So either way, Chandler is likely a goner.

That goner label applies, too, to Eddy Curry, who would be a key component of any Anthony trade because the Knicks need his $11.3 million salary to make the money match.

So assuming Chandler and Curry would be part of any Anthony trade if one is made by the Feb. 24 deadline, you then have to look at what else it would take for the Knicks to get Anthony.

And that list begins with Fields (who can be sold to the Denver fan base as a lottery-worthy talent), and likely would also include Anthony Randolph (or a No. 1 pick acquired in exchange for Randolph) and possibly a fifth player (Bill Walker fits the bill of a young player with considerable upside and a low salary).

Those five still might not comprise as enticing a package as the one the New Jersey Nets were prepared to give to the Nuggets. (When exactly was the last time a lottery-bound team was willing to give up its upcoming lottery pick along with the lottery pick -- Derrick Favors -- it just acquired?)

But those five -- or whatever package of players and picks Knicks president Donnie Walsh is trying to woo the Nuggets with -- probably would end up being more valuable than any package another team would be willing to relinquish, especially if that team had no guarantee from Anthony that he'd be willing to sign an extension with it.

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As James said in the infamous toast he gave at Anthony's wedding: If the Knicks ever want to have any hope of competing with the Heat between now and 2015, they had better find a way to put Anthony and Stoudemire alongside each other.

"You blame me?" James asked when reminded of the toast. "That particular day was all about Carmelo and his wife. Let's not take away from the fact that was an unbelievable day for two parties coming together in matrimony. That was more important than anything. We said what we said, but we were excited to be there for the wedding."

That was about as colorful as James was on this particular Thursday, and he nonchalanted his way through this game to such a degree that it took 13 consecutive made field goals by Dwyane Wade (before be went 0-for-6 in the fourth) to enable to Heat to play from ahead for much of the game.

But in the end, Fields was the guy making the biggest plays and the biggest shot (for those wondering why Spike Lee has taken to wearing a Fields jersey to all Knicks games, here was your reason). And it should not go unmentioned that Fields had a similar prolific night (21 points, 17 rebounds) back in November when the Knicks made their one and only visit to Denver.

So if there is an Anthony trade, logic dictates that Fields could be one of the key pieces leaving town.

"I'm not a speculation guy. I want to see what happens," James said. "When it happens, then I can make a comment about it. The No. 1 thing is Carmelo being happy. It doesn't matter where that's at."

Which is why we wait and sign him this summer. Trade Gallo + Fields + Randolph for Melo and we're still a 6th seed with no chance at making the finals. Sign him this summer and we're contenders.

If Melo can't wait for us, f*ck him.

Felton
Douglas
Gallo
Melo
STAT

>>>>>>

Felton
Fields
Gallo
Chandler
STAT

(it wouldn't be Gallo, but Chandler dealt, per the article, this scenario, etc)

Plus, the Melo lineup is easier to refine into a higher seeded team; mine for role players and basic complimentary pieces. Vs the latter and still needing superstar/star talent to explode.

I agree, tho; don't do that deal where Fields is included. And if it is We Get Melo Now, but give that all up. Or be patient and keep Fields and AR/1st, you be patient and sacrifice maybe-making some more noise this season.

But it's not **** Melo, regardless, man. Idk why you have this general disdain for him, a la LeBron's courtship and his playing us. All Melo's done is work on our behalf and keep things going in a favorable direction for us to get him on our terms. Short of publicly saying he is a Knick and acting like he works for us. Lebron had pure choice, the easiest route to navigate, no risks, really. And he acted w extraordinary ego, selfishness, and doucheness. Melo ain't, even tho his position is signriicentky more arduous and dripping with potential risks than LeBron or most athletes when they get in spots about FA.

If it turns our we DO panic, and "gut the team", and it was facilitated by Melo being legit wishy washy at the last hour...Then i'd harbor some ill will. But that hasn't happened, and I don't think it will.

If we sign him during the off-season we'd lose Wilson Chandler but I've got no problem with that. Would you trade Chandler for Carmelo straight up? The answer is undoubtedly yes. If we can keep Gallo and Fields whilst holding onto Melo, we're a Samuel Dalembert-type player away from winning a championship title.

Got an off-topic question here. I have been watching lately, and noticed that Spike Lee has been wearing that orange Nike Marbury jersey on the sidelines. Except, the stitching is 3rd party and has Fields on it with his number. Does anyone think he actually de-stitched it from Marbury to Fields just to wear that ugly jersey? Nike stopped making jerseys for the NBA a couple of years ago, so there's no way that jersey is real, stitching at least.

In the end, I believe our original package of Chandler, Fields and a first will be the base of any deal. As much as Fields has contributed, Melo wants to play with STAT. And quite honestly, Gallo still has the biggest ceiling of the trio. If we keep him, we have come out peachy. Look at how well he plays in big games. And he is still learning. U keep 6'10 guys with his skill. U can find a Chandler/Fields type more readily.

If we had Melo yesterday, we're up 15 by the time the third ends. They gave will many post up plays he could not finish, that are layups to Melo. Melo is more suited to play the 4 in this system than Chandler. And while he will be outmanned at times vs the KG's, Gasol's, Bosh's, he definately will not disappear in those Games like Will does. He scores 30 easy last night. Imagine the pressure it takes off Stat n Ray? Imagine Gallo being the 3rd option behind those guys? That gives us a better nucleus than Mia that day. Mia is better than us now because we have no go back at Bosh. Melo gives us the edge there, cuz frankly, he is better by miles, and D'antoni will certainly dictate matchup favorably.

Bye bye Fields and Chandler, and Walker and Curry. Hello Real contender! And that's what this is abt. Not our sentimental feelings for homegrown talent with upside.

Got an off-topic question here. I have been watching lately, and noticed that Spike Lee has been wearing that orange Nike Marbury jersey on the sidelines. Except, the stitching is 3rd party and has Fields on it with his number. Does anyone think he actually de-stitched it from Marbury to Fields just to wear that ugly jersey? Nike stopped making jerseys for the NBA a couple of years ago, so there's no way that jersey is real, stitching at least.

I feel you. Only thing I can think of is Spike has the money to make something like this happen.

Nike probally has the license to this alternate and can make a change when they see fit or if there is a market for the product to be sold in. I have two of those jeseys as well but they are Houston and Spreewell!!!